Falling into the fall season with Sherri Lynne from Sandridge Road.

I have missed every last one of you! Are you getting ready for the holidays? I’ve been busy just like you all with life and the twists and turns it presents. I’ve buried some family members and good old friends since we last chatted, and even now we are mourning the recent loss of two cousins. As my cousin Gloria puts it, “every day is another chance to thank God, be open to change and just remember from Who we come from.”

Now, back to where I’ve been.

First, I traveled a bit and for a person with a disability, that can sometimes be a bit challenging but with the right mindset and some expert knowledge on the services that are offered, getting around can be done now with more ease. I admit in my later years, traveling was at the bare minimum for me, it had to be something special for me to pack my bags and put on my “traveling shoes.”

Anyway I had to take a short getaway to Virginia Beach, VA. My sisters checked out possible ways for me to get there before we settled on Amtrak. I was able to get a discount because I am a PWD, then my sisters made sure there was a way for me to get to the closest train station. Once there I had an attendant help me onto the train, and during my ride they made sure I was comfortable even offering to purchase my snacks for me, saving me the extra walk to the dining car. When I got to my destination I was put a special lift, shown below, and rode down to ground level like the queen that I am my #Amtrak experience was awesome!

I know you have some great stories to share with me so please feel free to respond in kind, I love reading about all the wonderful places you all have been to as well. Once my sister picked me up from the station we headed to our hotel room, and it was real nice. Shout out to my front desk associates at the Springhill Suites in Hampton, VA (pics below) the #Marriott way works for me! My royal coach, by way of a wheel chair, was waiting for me at check in, and it was nice when they offered to wheel me to my room, but my family was there to assist me. But, I kept thinking how incredibly kind they were to offer this service.

With the wealth of information on the internet, my family and I can plan for me to attend events with a lot less hassle.

My latest adventure was a trip to Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love, and home to my sisters Sybil and Michelle. Aunt Candetha came along for this trip and we were off to the airport for a quick flight to meet family and friends for my sister Sybil’s birthday/retirement party. A lot went into our travel plans. First I had to consider how I was going to get there, keeping in my mind my need for wheelchair assistance, and Aunt Candetha’s own mobility issues. We were a pair, but we knew that where there’s a will, there is a way plus I had a cute black jumpsuit to show off at the party!

Me and Aunt Candetha photo by: Kelvin Green

I tackle life first and accessibility is just the flip side of that for me. Yes, it’s the family member I will never be able to get rid of so I embrace it and keep it going. I wanted to be there for my sister and even though it meant “butt-walking” down the stairs in her house because I could not walk down like everybody else, then that what it was. I choose to share in the moments and not give up on experiencing all I can while I still can. No matter how rough it gets, Sherri Lynne from Sandridge Road will give life my very best try. And everything I just said would not even be a mantra for me without God and my cadre of fabulously funny, supportive family and friends.

Check us out at the party, celebrating Sybil’s birthday and her retirement as a Correctional Officer from Philadelphia Prison Systems…go sis!!

My sister Sybil with her husband Coles Bacone photo by Jordan Henson

Please stay blessed and tuned in for my next blog, you know we got to get ready for a southern Thanksgiving dinner!